Witch Season
A Novel
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jun 30, 2026
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Exhilarating, dangerous, and seductive, Witch Season is an action-packed and fiercely romantic contemporary fantasy from debut author and screenwriter Julia Bianco.
That is the price of magic–not just the blood, but the pain to bring it out.
Katherine Barnes is an enforcer, charged with upholding the rules of the notorious Los Angeles-based Aestas coven. It’s her job to maintain order and bring unsettled witches–people who aren’t aware they have magic until it explodes out of them in a catastrophic burst–into the coven’s fold. As a former unsettled witch, Katherine owes her life to Sylvia Page, coven leader and silver-haired rebel who founded Aestas years ago.
When Silas Khatri, heir to Noctis, the most powerful coven in the world, arrives to take Aestas to task for some of their more unconventional practices, Katherine’s dislike for him reaches blistering levels. She hates his money, his good looks, his coven’s dangerous attitude towards unsettled witches. She can absolutely overlook that he sets her off in more ways than one.
But a powerful threat is about to rise. Stronger than any one coven. More insidious than the decades-long power struggle that exists in the hidden witch world. One that will pull Katherine and Silas together despite their differences. And one that will lead to an all-out war.
"Compelling, addictive...a phenomenal read." - Brigitte Knightley
"Simply riveting." - India Holton
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bianco's entertaining debut introduces a world where magic is paid for in blood and pain. Katherine Barnes is Executrix of the Los Angeles–based Aestas Coven, responsible for enforcing the laws of the secretive witch community and mentoring "unsettled" witches, the children of non-magical parents whose abilities have newly manifested, before their destructive power surges overwhelm them. As a former unsettled witch whose own early power surges ended in tragedy, she's determined to both maintain the peace and protect young witches. So when her latest rescue, 14-year-old Lily, perishes in a magical incident, Katherine is devastated. Meanwhile, Silas Khatri, heir to the powerful Noctis Coven, which controls the flow of power in North America, arrives to perform the yearly audit of Aestas's magic—while secretly preparing to take over the coven on his family's behalf. Katherine and Silas reluctantly join forces to investigate Lily's death. When they discover it wasn't an accident, they must find a way to trust each other long enough to prevent further disaster. Bianco does a good job showing her protagonists wrestling with complex moral choices. Katherine battles trauma and control issues, while Silas is torn between duty and dissatisfaction. Their chemistry is undeniable, though their emotional entanglements take a back seat to the more pressing political intrigue and brewing magical catastrophes. It's an exciting start.
